


Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?

by Piff



Series: Bye Bye Birdy [16]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Frenemies, Gen, Hollow - Freeform, Jack believes in Imagination, Jack has questions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-28
Updated: 2014-01-28
Packaged: 2018-01-10 08:04:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1157144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piff/pseuds/Piff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Pitch have a talk. Not THE TALK, but a discussion about clothing choices, belief, and Jack's Best-Frenemy, Hollow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?

Pitch allowed Jack to trail after him like a silent wraith for half the night before finally asking what was on his mind. It was unusual for the boy to be silent for so long so there must be something laying heavy on the mind. 

“What is Hollow?”

“I’m not sure I understand the question.”

“Well I mean, he’s.. I think he’s a he. Is Hollow a he?”

“Have you asked?”

Jack rolled his eyes, feet swinging from his seat on a power line above Pitch’s head. “That’s not something you can just ASK someone! ‘Hey Hollow, I know we’ve been kind of like friends these last few years, so are you a boy or girl?’ Yeah that would go over -real- well.”

“Spare me your sarcasm. Hollow is exactly what Hollow wants to be, what more do you need to know?”

Jack threw his hands up in the air, letting his body fall backwards. The Wind snatched him up before falling too far and deposited him neatly beside Pitch on the gritty sidewalk where they walked on. He tapped his staff against a fire hydrant to freeze it up. Maybe later it’d explode and create a street-wide skating rink! But back to what was on hand…

“It’s not that it’s a big deal or anything cause he’s my friend and I hate it when we fight but I’ve just never seen Hollow without a costume and mask and I only think he’s a he because he wears guy stuff. Most of the time. Then there’s times he wears the really girly stuff and acts like a girl and talks like a girl and really is totally a girl! High pitched and giggling over stupid things like the Swans do sometimes. So is Hollow a boy who likes sparkly things sometimes, or is Hollow a girl who likes to play rough? I can’t tell!”

Pitch could feel a headache building between his eyes as Jack rambled on. He sighed.

“I believe you are over thinking it. Hollow is, in all literal senses, hollow. He, or she, is the celebration of gathering treats from strangers while in costume, fuled by the minds of a million sweet-gobbling children. You’ve never seen Hollow without a mask because without it, Hollow has no face. Without a costume, Hollow has no form. So as I said, whether a Pirate or a Princess, Hollow is exactly what Hollow chooses to be.” 

Jack skipped over a puddle of oil, digesting this information and scowling up at the tall, tall metal buildings that blocked the light and air. “So.. Hollow is… nothing? Nothing but empty clothes with a voice? But there are eyes behind the mask, and he’s worn short sleeves... there’s a person in there!”

“You’ve had the –idea- of a person inside the costume. Hollow is the belief in imagination and being able to be whatever you want. A child who chooses to dress as a witch for Halloween will for a few hours believe they ARE a witch. Or a superhero. Or a princess. Hollow is the personifictation of that belief as you are a personification of winter and just as real. ” 

Pitch cupped the back of Jack’s head with a hand, petting the long, tangled strands. “I would say that until Hollow expressively claims otherwise, you should continue to use ‘he’ and ‘him’. To use the term ‘it’ is insulting, and he does tend to prefer the more boyish type of costume. So stop your fretting, and go have fun. Start an avalanche somewhere.”

Jack started to say something, then closed his mouth to reconsider. “…Montana has had some wonderful footage this week. Would be easy to get one rolling.”

“There you go. Though consider brushing your hair first, it looks like something has been nesting in it. Again."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that made sense. I love Hollow.


End file.
